NYU Professor Wafaa Bilal's Body Rejects Head-Cam Implant

New York University arts professor Wafaa Bilal, who recently implanted a camera in the back of his head, underwent surgery on Friday after his body rejected one of the titanium posts anchoring the device to his skull.

Late last year, Bilal had the digital camera inserted into a two-inch hole drilled into the back of his head. According to The Chronicle of High Education, the body-modification artist who performed the surgery also installed three posts between Bilal's skin and skull to root the setup in place.

Bilal intended to wear the camera around for a year as part of an art project, titled "The 3rd I," commissioned for the opening of the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, reports the AP. "But the setup caused constant pain, because his body rejected one of the posts, despite treatment with antibiotics and steroids," The Chronicle now writes.

The troublesome post has been removed, but the other two remain. "I'm determined to continue with [the project]," Mr. Bilal said, according to The Chronicle.

Bilal has reportedly tied the camera to his head and will continue to do so until his wound heals and the setup can be reinstalled.

To read more about Bilal's project and the medical complications that resulted from it, visit The Chronicle of Higher Education. To see photos from the project so far, click here.

Comments

[Jeff Beatty]

01:31 PM on 02/19/2011

What was the project called? The "I Need a Camera Like I Need A Hole in the Head" project?

[kinogod]

07:53 AM on 02/17/2011

Stuuuuuupid

[alreadybad]

09:56 AM on 02/14/2011

Ok, he's only dealing in gigs. Only Keanu can get away with that and still hold the TB's.

[agxphoto]

10:37 PM on 02/13/2011

Could have used a cheesy 1970s elastic headband and achieved the same thing.

[Gordy Grundy]

10:28 PM on 02/13/2011

What's the problem? My Third Eye is working perfectly.

[alreadybad]

09:52 AM on 02/14/2011

LOL, if one would only look, then perhaps they would see.

[GorgyPorgy]

09:36 PM on 02/13/2011

Can someone ask this guy who is choice was for president. I have a strong feeling he is an Obama liberal.

[Konrad Klean]

11:01 AM on 02/13/2011

No one is going to dare text in this guy's class :)

[matthewnsea]

02:20 PM on 02/12/2011

Ok, I have implants in my brain to control tremor. As much as I appreciate Deep Brain Stimulation and what it has done for me, I simply cannot comprehend why anyone would do this on purpose, and with no medical benefit. Someone must really enjoy pain.

[Daburn]

04:29 AM on 02/12/2011

You know, I once had this idea that it would be a good idea to paint another eye on my forehead. Then the cops literally beat some sense in to me. What can I say? It was a different era...

[Balzac]

12:20 AM on 02/12/2011

Gnarley. He should cut his losses and wait for better technology to be developed.

[littlebrowngirl]

10:49 PM on 02/11/2011

Someone's gonna have a hard time returning this to Best Buy.

[doublels]

08:00 PM on 02/11/2011

When I was little my grandma used to say she had ''eyes in the back of my head''. We believed her!I can't imagine what she'd say about this dude!!

[William1950]

07:32 PM on 02/11/2011

why in the world would anyone drill holes in their head on purpose??? did he never hear about elastic straps?

[pmilo]

09:24 PM on 02/12/2011

I was thinking "how about a headband, or a baseball cap or something?"

[HighDesertBob]

06:52 PM on 02/11/2011

"The Third I", they should call it the Third Dork.

[SonOfUgh]

01:21 PM on 02/13/2011

Maybe I is for idi.ot? But, if so, who are the first and second ones?

[jaycg9]

06:36 PM on 02/11/2011

It's just silly. Everyone knows that the government has been installing microscopic cameras directly on our ocular nerves at birth since the mid-1970s, so anyone born since then is sending a constant stream of video directly to the sub-sub-sub-sub basement of the Pentagon...but I suppose they're a little stingy with letting all that video out for an art project (or admitting it's what they're doing, but it's one of those known-unknowns, or unknown-knowns, right?).